By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter
Dr Donald M Berwick, president emeritus and senior fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, US, highlighted some of the common healthcare issues around the world at the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) yesterday.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening plenary of WISH, Dr Berwick stressed that ageing and chronic disease, healthcare costs, how to create health, safety, person-centred care, transparency and technology are the common health issues discussed around the world at present.
“The best way to improve healthcare across the world is by declaring the need to improve and setting bold aims. There should be a will on the part of the administrator and officials to accept failures and to learn from the mistakes. This will cease the ideas of fear and blame and lead to develop pride and joy in work,” said Dr Berwick.
The healthcare expert also pointed out that there was a need to establish a transparent system as well as level metrics. “Give voice to patients, caregivers and communities and invest in workforce skills for improvement. This can lead to betterment in every area of healthcare.”
Meanwhile, Prof the Lord Darzi of Denham, executive chair of WISH, highlighted that the healthcare community must watch out and be vigilant on many of the communicable diseases around the world.
“We must always remain vigilant for the next threat from new communicable diseases, which can emerge without warning. In the past year, we have seen the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, which has challenged health systems across this region,” he said.
“And, of course, the world has woken up to the horror of the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. In the eyes of many, Ebola caught the global health community sleeping. The moral resolve of saying ‘never again’ must be met with resolute change. The public must be mobilised for public health,” he added. “We must embrace the innovation we need for the health we want.”
Dr Donald M Berwick
